Morale
by SpecialHell
Summary: Eliot/Hardison, Oneshot, Pre-Slash.


_A/N. My first Leverage fic; be honest with me!_

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><p>Eliot was suspicious. He realised, somewhat embarrassed, that he should have been suspicious a lot sooner. He wasn't growling as much as usual these days, and Parker was smiling at him more as a result. Real smiles, not the creepy ones she got when thinking of disturbing things Eliot probably didn't want to know about. He was getting soft, and it was all Hardison's fault.<p>

It had started three months ago. At first Eliot thought Hardison was mocking him. Nate had been rambling on about a mark and how he needed to be brought down; Eliot had long ago recognised the signs of Nate justifying something to himself.

Eliot was scowling; impatience building when Hardison had leaned forward, arm raised. Eliot eyed him sceptically.

"For morale," Hardison had said. After a few seconds Eliot caved and returned the high-five. Hardison smiled widely, and Eliot didn't feel quite so grumpy. Nate finished his tirade and the team got ready to leave; all of them eager to get to work. Eliot let Parker and Hardison leave before him; a show of what Sophie called his 'Southern manners.' Hardison smiled as he passed, and Eliot felt his lips quirk in return.

Everything had been normal for the next few weeks. They finished job after job with barely a hitch. Eliot figured he should have seen something like this coming. Things never went smooth for long.

Wincing, Eliot prodded the gunshot wound in his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped; Eliot's his field stitching was holding up well. The memory of how Sophie had grimaced the entire time she was helping to bandage Eliot up made him laugh softly to himself.

When he finally got back to HQ, Parker was in the kitchen; back to the wall. She caught sight of his shoulder and her eyes flashed with fear. It was the first time she'd seen him shot. Rubbing her arms, Parker was stepping from one foot to the other, looking like she was ready to bolt. Eliot was tired, and about to move forward and bark at her that he was fine when Hardison came into view from Eliot's right, arms spread out. Eliot looked at him like he'd lost his mind, but Alec stood firm.

"For morale," he stated simply.

Eliot's eyes shifted to Parker for a second and it was that fearful expression that made him concede. Stepping forward, Eliot spread his one good arm and Hardison gingerly enveloped him in a hug. It lasted only seconds, but when Eliot glanced back at Parker, she was smiling timidly.

"C'mon," Eliot sighed, raising his arm again. Parker's movements were stilted as he walked over; eyes fixed worriedly on his shoulder. With a soft growl, Eliot pulled Parker in with his good arm. The thief sighed as she leaned on Eliot; finally convinced that he was ok.

Parker left within the hour, but Hardison elected to stay. Eliot felt like he should be kicking the man out, or at least feel discomfort that he was here. But he wasn't uncomfortable and he didn't want Alec leave; and he was too tired to worry about either fact. With a heavy sigh, Eliot closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the sofa. After a few moments he felt a hand easing around his stomach. If Hardison's distinctive scent –sugar and fried circuits- hadn't tipped him off, Eliot would be reacting violently about now. Cracking an eye open, Eliot watched with hidden amusement as Hardison tucked himself in against the hitter's side, eyes closed.

"Morale," Hardison mumbled when he felt Eliot's eyes on him. With a shake of his head, Eliot draped his arm around Hardison and closed his eyes again.

Neither man talked about that night again, and Eliot chalked it up to post-job exhaustion. Everything carried on as normal, save for the regular smiles Hardison shot his way.

To his own surprise, Eliot found himself smiling when he walked through HQ door and saw the team all there; Nate sitting in the corner nursing a drink, Sophie wearing a look of frustration as she watched Hardison and Parker carrying on in an animated discussion. One look told Eliot that Hardison had been drinking too much orange soda again.

"Seriously! No, nu-uh. There is no way in hell!"

"What do you mean, no way? How would you know?" Parker was waving her arms as she spoke. Hardison caught site of Eliot and turned towards him.

"Eliot! Help me out here, man."

"What now?" Eliot asked; hiding his enjoyment of the scene with a put-upon sigh.

"This… woman," Hardison shot a look towards Parker. "Thinks that Rocky could beat Rambo in a fight."

Eliot laughed aloud as he looked between the two. They could still surprise him.

"I just think," Parker explained calmly. "That Rocky has quicker feet. Plus he's from Philadelphia – everyone there carries a gun!" Hardison looked like he was about to protest, but Eliot stopped him.

"Wait a minute. Are we talking hand-to-hand combat, or with weaponry?"

"What? Eliot, you're not really getting involved in this?" Sophie piped up.

"You want them fighting about this all day?" He asked simply, looking over his shoulder at her.

"That's right," Hardison chimed in. "He's doing it for morale." Eliot rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Parker.

"I'm not stupid," Parker defended. "In a jungle setting using hand-to-hand and long ranged weapons, Rambo would win in a heartbeat. BUT if you put them in a neutral setting with no rules and no access to Rambo's tried and true weapons cache, then what?" Eliot stopped for a second; genuinely impressed that Parker had given it this much thought. He almost didn't want to do this.

"Rambo would still win."

Parker pouted. "Why?" She demanded. With an evil smirk, Eliot grabbed Hardison's arm.

"Because Rocky can't do this," He said before performing a complicated Green Beret move that ended with Hardison doubled over on the floor. It hadn't really hurt, but the shock alone knocked the breath out of Hardison. Looking down momentarily, Eliot explained. "If I was serious you'd be all kinds of dead right now."

"Alright," Parker conceded; clearly amused enough at what had just happened that losing wasn't so bad. "Rambo wins."

"Thank you," Hardison wheezed from the floor. Eliot laughed softly and offered him a hand. He pulled the hacker to his feet before moving back towards the sofa. He turned back sharply when he felt the smack to his ass.

"For morale," Hardison said with a shrug; completely unrepentant. Eliot didn't answer. He didn't know what to say to the cocky smile Alec wore. Nate stood up; drawing everyone's attention to him and letting them know with a look that playtime was over. Hardison went to work, laying out their next job, but Eliot couldn't focus on his presentation.

(*~*~*~*)

Eliot was pissed. The con had gone sideways, and they were lucky to get out of there alive. Hardison's jokes, which recently had been making him feel better, were back to being an irritant. Parker's recklessness and Nate's on the fly decision making had frayed Eliot's last nerve.

It was this that finally made him admit it. The team was getting under his skin. He was losing his edge, and he knew who was to blame. Storming into HQ, Eliot glared at Hardison sitting on the sofa.

"It's fine," Hardison spoke before Eliot could start. "I found the leak. It's nothing we did; just bad luck. We're out; we're clear. Nobody is coming for us." Eliot growled and began pacing the space between the sofa and the door. The others were hiding out in a warehouse for the night; wanting to make sure they got a clean break at first light. It wasn't the fear of being caught that was infuriating; it was the idea that they'd been beaten. _He'd_ been beaten. The thought that maybe, if he'd been more focussed on the job instead of to-ing and fro-ing with Hardison, they may have got the job done.

"Hey," Eliot looked over to see Hardison standing now; computer forgotten on the desk. "There's nothing we could've done. Let it go." Eliot's eyes narrowed but he remained silent. Hardison stalked, he actually freakin' _stalked_, towards him; a determined set to his jaw.

"Let it go." He repeated. Eliot felt his body move without him; wanting to take down Alec for implying he couldn't have fixed it. It proved how much the job had taken out of him that Hardison easily dodged the movement. A few seconds later Eliot found himself pressed against Hardison. The hacker was using the arm hold Eliot had taught him; gaining support from the wall that was now pressed to Eliot's back. Leaning in, Hardison rested his forehead against Eliot's and just breathed. Unconsciously, Eliot's breathing synced up to Hardison's and he felt himself calm. Hardison didn't look away from Eliot as his eyes closed; the tension in his face finally dissipating. Eliot opened his eyes when Alec pressed more firmly against Eliot's body. The determination was still in Hardison's eyes, but Eliot could see the fear too. Eliot's moods were known to be explosive, and what Hardison was doing was stepping over a line by anyone's standards.

"Let me guess," Eliot's voice was huskier than he'd like. "For morale?"

With a grin Hardison nodded. Eliot didn't resist; relaxing into Hardison's arms. Alec's smile widened at the action and he leaned in further; taking Eliot's lips in a soft kiss. The hitter kissed back slowly and Hardison released his hold on Eliot's arm. As soon as Eliot felt the freedom, his arms came around to pull Hardison closer.

Eliot had to admit, as he walked Alec back towards the sofa, that this was one hell of a morale boost.

The End.


End file.
